When the last blow landed, Rojhan felt his consciousness slip away once more. As he fell to the floor, his concussed mind took him back to the early days of his training.
He felt the crack of the shepherd's crook against his head before he even saw it move. "Try again." she said as she stepped back and waited, her voice barely a whisper but her words striking him even harder than had the age hardened oak crook. She had that way about her, so unassuming to those that didn't know her, but a force of power to those that did. Those that truly knew her at least.
To look at her she could have been a baker's wife. Or even a fisherwoman. She had the sort of face that you could see every day of your life and not even recognize the next. It was a trait she looked for in all of her pupils.
With a grunt of effort, the young man tossed down a smoke bomb and rolled backwards, hiding himself with nearly masterful skill as he did. When the smoke could begin to clear, he leapt through the shadows to land at her back, his wooden practice blade held out before him. Before he could even plant his feet to attack she launched the tip of her weapon behind her, jabbing him hard enough in the gut to take his breath away.
As he stood doubled over, she spoke again in that bellowing whisper, "Who are We?"
He, and the rest of the young students around them spoke at once, "We are the Veil."
Once more, she asked, "Who are We?" And again, the response, "We are the blade that ends the war. We are the fire that sparks the rebellion. We are the vengeance of the meek. We are the bane of the powerful. We are the Veil."
The words faded away as his senses returned. He woke to find one of the monks of the Abbey tending to his wounds. He seemed to have been tossed just outside the Abbey after he'd fallen. "Well," he thought, "Yew really has gone downhill since last I visited." Standing up weakly, he brushed off the monk's helping hands and made his way toward the nearest shadow. He couldn't believe he had passed up a chance to see Inez for this meeting. Pulling a runebook from his pack, he thumbed through the pages till he found the rune he was looking for, Serpent's Hold. Perhaps he could make it in time to see Sally. She worked later in the night so he could at least be there before she left the tavern. With a sigh, he called on the power of the rune and disappeared from sight.
He felt the crack of the shepherd's crook against his head before he even saw it move. "Try again." she said as she stepped back and waited, her voice barely a whisper but her words striking him even harder than had the age hardened oak crook. She had that way about her, so unassuming to those that didn't know her, but a force of power to those that did. Those that truly knew her at least.
To look at her she could have been a baker's wife. Or even a fisherwoman. She had the sort of face that you could see every day of your life and not even recognize the next. It was a trait she looked for in all of her pupils.
With a grunt of effort, the young man tossed down a smoke bomb and rolled backwards, hiding himself with nearly masterful skill as he did. When the smoke could begin to clear, he leapt through the shadows to land at her back, his wooden practice blade held out before him. Before he could even plant his feet to attack she launched the tip of her weapon behind her, jabbing him hard enough in the gut to take his breath away.
As he stood doubled over, she spoke again in that bellowing whisper, "Who are We?"
He, and the rest of the young students around them spoke at once, "We are the Veil."
Once more, she asked, "Who are We?" And again, the response, "We are the blade that ends the war. We are the fire that sparks the rebellion. We are the vengeance of the meek. We are the bane of the powerful. We are the Veil."
The words faded away as his senses returned. He woke to find one of the monks of the Abbey tending to his wounds. He seemed to have been tossed just outside the Abbey after he'd fallen. "Well," he thought, "Yew really has gone downhill since last I visited." Standing up weakly, he brushed off the monk's helping hands and made his way toward the nearest shadow. He couldn't believe he had passed up a chance to see Inez for this meeting. Pulling a runebook from his pack, he thumbed through the pages till he found the rune he was looking for, Serpent's Hold. Perhaps he could make it in time to see Sally. She worked later in the night so he could at least be there before she left the tavern. With a sigh, he called on the power of the rune and disappeared from sight.